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Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa delivered a career-defining performance at the 12th edition of the Coelmo Napoli City Half Marathon on Sunday, February 22, 2026, storming to victory in a new Italian record of 59:01. The 29-year-old smashed his own previous national mark of 59:26, set on the same Neapolitan course four years ago, to climb to second on the European all-time list. In the women’s race, Kenya’s Lucy Nthenya Ndambuki ran a personal best of 1:08:48 for a comfortable win. A record 10,000 runners registered for the sold-out World Athletics Label road race through the streets of Naples — the 2026 European Capital of Sport.
Men’s Race: Crippa Makes History on Home Soil
The conditions in Naples were tailor-made for fast running: clear skies, around 9°C at the start, and virtually no wind. Kenyan pacemaker Gideon Kipkorir Rop took the lead pack through 5km in 13:58 and 10km in 28:05, putting the front-runners on pace for approximately 59:15.
The lead group through the opening 10 kilometers comprised Crippa alongside three Kenyan challengers: Andrea Kiptoo, Owen Korir Kapkama, and Brian Kwemoi Kirui. Italy’s second-fastest half marathoner of all time, Pietro Riva, opted for a more conservative strategy, sitting just behind the pack through the early kilometers.
After the pacemaker dropped out around the 11-kilometer mark, Crippa refused to let the pace slacken and took turns at the front with Kiptoo. By 14km, Kirui had been dropped. Crippa then applied a gentle surge before the 15km mark that was enough to shake off Kapkama, leaving only Kiptoo for company.
The decisive moment came in the second of two tunnels that the course passes through. Crippa launched a powerful acceleration that Kiptoo simply couldn’t match. Emerging from the tunnel onto a downhill section, the 2022 European 10,000m champion opened a gap that would grow to 26 seconds by the finish line. Crippa raised both arms in triumph as he broke the tape on the Viale J.F. Kennedy, cheered by packed crowds lining the narrow finish straight.
With his 59:01, Crippa now sits second on the European all-time list, behind only Sweden’s Andreas Almgren (58:41, Valencia, October 2025). The time also set a new course record for Naples, further cementing the city’s status as the fastest half marathon course in Italy.
Kiptoo earned a well-deserved personal best of 59:27 in second place — only his second-ever half marathon. Kapkama also ran a lifetime best of 59:42 for third. Riva, who is in the midst of preparing for his marathon debut in Rotterdam in April, moved past Kirui to finish fourth in 1:00:32, expressing satisfaction with his performance at this stage of his training cycle.
Men’s Top 5 Results
| Place | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yemaneberhan Crippa | Italy | 59:01 (NR, CR) |
| 2 | Andrea Kiptoo | Kenya | 59:27 (PB) |
| 3 | Owen Korir Kapkama | Kenya | 59:42 (PB) |
| 4 | Pietro Riva | Italy | 1:00:32 |
| 5 | Brian Kwemoi Kirui | Kenya | 1:01:29 |
Women’s Race: Ndambuki Cruises to Personal Best
The women’s race was a more clear-cut affair. Kenya’s Lucy Nthenya Ndambuki took control early, latching onto the designated male pacemaker and quickly building an insurmountable lead. By 10km, she was already 39 seconds ahead of her nearest pursuer, compatriot Nelly Jeptoo.
Ndambuki maintained her advantage throughout the second half, crossing the finish line in 1:08:48 — a career best, though well short of Viola Cheptoo’s course record of 1:06:47 from 2020. The Kenyan was pleased with her effort and the racing conditions in Naples.
Jeptoo secured second place with her own personal best of 1:09:14. Finland’s Susanna Saapunki, the 2025 World Mountain Running Championships silver medalist, produced a remarkable performance in third, clocking 1:10:35 — a three-minute personal best that underlines her growing versatility on the road.
The top Italian finisher was Sara Bottarelli, the reigning national half marathon champion, who finished sixth in 1:14:11.
Women’s Top 5 Results
| Place | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucy Nthenya Ndambuki | Kenya | 1:08:48 (PB) |
| 2 | Nelly Jeptoo | Kenya | 1:09:14 (PB) |
| 3 | Susanna Saapunki | Finland | 1:10:35 (PB) |
| 6 | Sara Bottarelli | Italy | 1:14:11 |
Crippa’s Rise: From Track Star to Road Racing Powerhouse
Crippa’s Italian record caps an extraordinary evolution from track specialist to one of Europe’s most formidable road runners. The holder of Italian national records at 3000m, 5000m, and 10,000m, Crippa won the European 10,000m title in 2022 and has increasingly turned his focus to the roads in recent years. His first sub-60 half marathon came on this very course in 2022, and four years later he has lowered that mark by a full 25 seconds.
With Crippa and Riva both at the top of their game — and Riva eyeing a marathon debut in Rotterdam — Italian distance running is experiencing a golden era. Crippa’s rivalry with Riva, billed by race organizers as a “mini European Championship” in the European Capital of Sport, is shaping up to be one of the most compelling in European athletics.
Naples: A Growing Force in World Road Running
The 2026 edition marked a milestone for the event, with over 10,000 registrations for the first time in its 12-year history — a 36% increase over 2025. A record 7,772 runners crossed the finish line. Race director Carlo Capalbo, who grew up in Naples and has built the event from the ground up through his Prague-based RunCzech organization, was visibly moved by the achievement.
Naples holds a unique distinction in Italian athletics: it is the city that simultaneously hosts both the men’s and women’s Italian half marathon records, following Crippa’s 59:01 and Sofiia Yaremchuk’s 1:07:55 from 2024. The fast, flat course along the Naples waterfront, with its stunning views of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples, combined with ideal February temperatures of around 13°C, makes it one of the most attractive half marathon destinations in Europe.
As the only World Athletics Label road race in southern Italy, the Coelmo Napoli City Half Marathon continues to punch well above its weight on the international stage.
About the Napoli City Half Marathon
The Coelmo Napoli City Half Marathon is a World Athletics Label road race held annually in February in Naples, Italy. Organized by RunCzech in coordination with Napoli Running, the fast and flat course takes runners through the city’s historic center and along the Mediterranean waterfront. First staged in 2015, it has rapidly grown into one of Italy’s premier road races, with a reputation for delivering personal bests and national records alike.
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